Bakuman

I’ve written before about how motivating and inspiring the pair Shuujin and Saikou it is for me and their dynamic relationship with fellow mangakas. While those two elements are still present throughout the third installment of Bakuman, the vibe I’ve been getting the most can be described in one word – Positivity.

I don’t think anyone of the characters in this series could have accomplished what they did if they did not have a positive mindset, the positive attitude, and with positive criticism. This is especially true when it comes to Ashirogi Muto. And when I say this name, I meant the three characters whose name were used in the pen name formulation.

Recently, I’m addicted to Castle. Yes, you heard me right. Castle. It’s the crime-solving TV series and no where near close to being anime. So why am I telling you this when majority of my readers are here for some anime chit-chat? Because I was watching Castle marathon-style from the first until the third season these past weeks and I find it hard to tear myself away from it until now (the time of writing this post).

The thing about watching a completed series is we can go on and on without stopping until we, well, complete the series or bored of it (like how I am with Castle right now). Depending on the length and addictiveness of the series, and the amount of free time we have, I’d say we may be able to complete a series fastest within 24 hours, slowest erm…a century…

It definitely helps to have sequels that lighten up my mood in the upcoming anime season. Big names like Bakuman, Hidamari Sketch and Jormungand are some of the series I look forward to. Having said that, there are few new series that caught my attention. Needless to say, it’ll be a very busy season for me. And that hasn’t even include the ones that aren’t on my list, the ones that I’ll need to sample the first few episodes before making my final decision. Oh boy, oh boy…

Without further ado, I shall now reveal my list! And the full anime list can be found here.

Before I proceed, I’ll first clarify that the context of “frenemies” being used here is a certain someone who is both a friend and an enemy. It’s a relationship that is mutually beneficial yet competitive.

Now, I finally completed the second season of Bakuman on a weekend marathon session. While the first season focused on the struggles Saiko and Shujin must overcome in their quest to serialize their manga as well as their partnership, the second season presented another side of manga world – rivalry.

Omg. Omg. OMG! There are just soooooooo many good titles this coming fall. It’s really, REALLY hard to decide which should stay on my watch list while which I should watch later after collecting more episodes. I’m interested in six titles so far and I know I can’t keep up with all of them every week so I need to do some serious prioritizing. Bear in mind, besides the new titles, I still have Mawaru Penguindrum that I will follow closely during the fall season. Plus my usual shōnen titles….ugh! Decisions, decisions, decisions!

Before I proceed and in case you haven’t seen the list, do check it out here at neregate.com. I’m telling you, loads of goodies coming this fall.

The anime industry is full of talented seiyū. Be it veterans or newcomers, they have this cunning ability to catch you off guard at times. Meaning to say, you can never guess it is he or she who breathe life into the 2D characters. I have encountered many jaw-dropping experiences myself. I lost count the number of times it happened. However, I remember clearly my first surprise.

You see, I was never really into knowing about voice actors. I was only interested how will a story be delivered so I never bothered to check out the cast. Then came one day when I was told the voice actor for Naruto‘s Gaara and Bamboo Blade‘s Dan-kun is one and the same person. Ishida Akira.

Moritaka Mashiro, a junior high school student, content to live out a relatively normal life as any other does, is persuaded by his classmate, Akito Takagi, to become an aspiring mangaka when the latter realizes his natural talent as an artist. However, Moritaka is reluctant to pursue his dream as his uncle, once a mangaka with his own serializations, died from overwork trying to regain his lost status. With Akito’s help, Takagi gets another classmate and his school crush, Azuki Miho, who is an aspiring voice actress, to voice in the anime adaptation of their future manga once it is completed. However, Mashiro also proposes to Azuki, who surprisingly accepts only on the condition she will marry him when both of them have achieved their dreams. With a goal set before him, Mashiro begins a long and struggling path to become a famous mangaka.